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Stephen J. Gould's greatest contribution to science is a revised version of the theory of evolution which offers today a useful framework for understanding progress in many evolutionary fields. His intuitions about the conjunction of evolution and development, the role of ecological factors in speciation, the multi-level interpretation of the units of selection, and the interplay between functional pressures and constraints all represent fruitful lines of experimental research. His opposition to the progressive representations of evolution, the gene-centered view of natural history, or the adaptationist "just-so stories" has also left its mark on current biology. In May 2012, at the Instituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Venice, an international panel of scientists and philosophers discussed Stephen J. Gould's legacy, ten years after his death. This book presents selections of those contributions, chosen for their interest and importance.Read more...

Abstract:

Ten years after his death, this book appraises the cultural legacy of Stephen J. Gould, one of the world's greatest writers in the life sciences. Covers Gould's contribution to evolutionary theory and anthropology, his views of genome and development and more.Read more...

Reviews

Editorial reviews

Publisher Synopsis

From the book reviews:"The book under review represents the proceedings of a meeting held at the Instituto Veneto during early May 2012 to memorialize the tenth anniversary of Gould's death. ... This book will be useful and important for serious historians of science and for evolutionary biologists with special interest in the background of their own discipline." (Charles R. Crumly, Journal of Biological Physics, Vol. 41, 2015)"This slender volume of 13 essays touches, in varying degrees, on Gould's work in these fields. ... most chapters are well written and provocative. ... the book will interest historians of evolutionary thought and Gould's most ardent fans. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professionals." (J. L. Hunt, Choice, Vol. 51 (7), March, 2014)Read more...